


Ferrari Fanboys

by Formula_Tea



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 17:36:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3737617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Formula_Tea/pseuds/Formula_Tea





	Ferrari Fanboys

Health and safety had gone mad, and Rob had had to wonder far from the paddock in search of somewhere to spoke. Normally, he wouldn’t have bothered paying attention to the ‘No Smoking’ signs which seemed to wallpaper every vertical surface between the garage and the quiet little corner he had found, but whilst he was working, and it was clear he was working, he thought it best not to tarnish Ferrari’s golden image.

Rob took out his phone, turning into the corner to protect his cigarette from the wind. There were no new alerts on his phone and Rob was about to put it away when he felt a hand tug on the bottom of his top. When he spun around, he found a tiny child in full, mini Ferrari overalls, looking up at him.

“Do you work for Ferrari?”

Rob frowned down at the child, who was desperately clutching a little flag in one hand and trying to keep his hair out of his eyes with the other, then looked around, but there was nobody here for the child to belong to.

“Where are your parents?” Rob asked.

“You do, don’t you,” the child continued. “Have seen you, on the telly. But you’re not a driver. I know the drivers.”

Rob looked around again, then stubbed out his cigarette and crouched down in front of the little boy.

“Where are mummy and daddy?” he asked.

“Mummy said racing is boring,” the boy said. “But I don’t think it is. I’m going to be a mechanic when I’m a grown up.” The boy cocked his head a little and looked at Rob. “You’re not a mechanic. Or you would have to be wearing clothes like this.” He patted his chest proudly and beamed up at Rob.

“Ok, so where’s daddy?” Rob asked, trying to get the little boy to listen to him. He looked around again. How far could someone so small have wondered by themselves?

“What are you?” the boy asked.

“I’m an engineer,” Rob said, quickly, hoping to prompt the child to answer some of his questions. “Where’s daddy, then?”

“My papa’s a mechanic too,” the boy said proudly. “And when I grow up, I’m going to be just like him, except I’m going to be a mechanic on fast cars, not boring cars. And I’m going to be taller.” The boy gasped, suddenly realising an idea. “You could get my papa to work for Ferrari, as a mechanic,” the boy said. “He’s really good and really fast. And he’s…”

Something caught the boy’s eye and he suddenly stopped, hurrying around to hide behind Rob. Rob stood, confused, and tried to see what the boy had spotted.

“Felipinho!”

The guy was stood on top of one of the banks in the distance, not looking in their direction but heading their way.

“Is that your papa?” Rob asked.

“Uh-huh,” the boy – Felipinho – said. “Going to be in trouble. Shouldn’t run away. Or talk to strangers, even if they do work at Ferrari and I’ve seen them on the telly.”

“Come on, I’ll sort it out,” Rob said, lifting the child up onto his hip to carry him over to his father.

“He will be angry,” Felipinho said, hiding his face against Rob’s shoulder as Rob waved to the little boy’s father.

“Well, you shouldn’t really run off, mate,” Rob said. “But I think he’ll be more relieved than anything. Oi!”

Finally, the man turned to face them, realised who Rob was carrying, and ran over. Felipinho watched with his cheek against Rob’s shoulder as they went over to meet the boy’s father, his fingers twisting Rob’s collar.

“Felipinho,” the father said as soon as he was close enough, trying not to look as out of breath as he was. “Have been looking everywhere for you. Thank-.”

He looked up at Rob and fell silent, his face turning the same colour as the Ferrari shirt he was wearing.

“Take it this one’s yours then,” Rob said, offering him the child.

“Thank you,” Felipinho’s father said, quietly, accepting his son whilst still staring at Rob. “You are… Rob Smedley, no?”

“Yeah,” Rob said, slowly. He looked around, trying to find what had caught the other man’s attention, but there was nobody around this dead part of the circuit. “Are you alright?”

“Sorry,” Felipinho’s father said, blushing even more, and looking quickly away from Rob. “Was just not expecting to find you just… hanging around.”

“I was returning a lost child,” Rob said, nodding down to Felipinho.

“Was not lost,” Felipinho said, confused, before speaking to his father in a stage whisper Rob could very obviously hear. “It’s the man from the telly. The one you like, Papa.”

Felipinho’s father was running out of shades of red, the blush increasing again. Rob considered the little man with a raised eyebrow and a small smile.

“Should… get going,” Felipinho’s father said, looking purposefully down at the grass. “Must have work to do and we will have lost our spot. Need to find a new one.”

“Yeah,” Rob said, glancing down at his watch. If he didn’t go now, he was going to be late back to the paddock. “Well, I’ll…” He stopped and considered the pair again. “What are you doing after quali?”

Felipinho’s father shrugged. “Getting food?”

“I’m going to get my face-painted!” Felipinho said, excitedly.

“Are going that tomorrow, Felipinho,” his father said, quietly.

“Don’t suppose you…” He shouldn’t be doing this, but he missed an opportunity to make Felipinho make the man blush like that again, Rob knew he’d regret it. “Don’t suppose you want a quick peak of the garage?”

“Really!” Felipinho cried, practically bouncing out of his father’s arms. “The _real_ garage.”

“Well, if you’re going to be our little mechanic someday, you’re going to have to know you’re way around,” Rob said.

“Is ok,” Felipinho’s father said, glancing up at Rob before quickly returning his eyes to the floor. “Have to get food and stuff. Would only be a bother.”

“No it wouldn’t,” Rob said, grinning. “I’ll meet you out here about an hour after quali finishes, yeah? I’ll show you around.”

“Please Papa?” Felipinho begged. “I asked him to give you a job, so maybe that’s going to be the surprise.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Rob said, ruffling Felipinho’s hair. “But a little tour would be no trouble.”

“You think you could?” Felipinho’s father asked. “Cannot get his hopes up if you cannot get us in.”

“Should be no problem,” Rob insisted. “We meet here, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Felipinho’s father said, letting himself smile a little. “Really think you should go now, though. Do not want you to be late for the qualifying.”

“Yeah, good point,” Rob said. He turned to jog back to the paddock, already trying to come up with an excuse as to why he was late, then span back around. “I didn’t catch your name.”

Felipinho’s father pulled him to a stop, turning back to Rob. “Felipe,” he said.

“Well, that would make sense,” Rob said, feeling his own cheeks burn, and why he was getting so embarrassed in front of a random fan, he didn’t know. “I’ll see you later.”

He turned back around before Felipe turned away, going for a full blown sprint back to the paddock and _there was a reason he was an engineer, not an athlete_.

He was going to have a lot of explaining to do.


End file.
